Weaving my personal recovery using the fabric of Emotions Anonymous and the healing strands of Alanon.
I'm learning H.O.W. to calm the chaos when my "dry" drunk wreaks havoc.

April 2, 2011

Courage to be Kind, Gentleness

How glad I am for the following reading in today's CTC, which is another lesson in gentleness, or being good to myself:

I have heard that the time to be gentle with myself is not when I am doing well, but when I am doing poorly. I may be able to push myself hard when things are going my way, but I invite trouble if I try this when I am trying to manage the basic activities of my life.

I used to worry that if I didn't push myself all the time, I would turn into a slug and nothing would get done. But my Fourth Step inventory showed me that the opposite is true. I tend to be hard on myself, so hard at times that I make my own life unmanageable, even painful. As a result, I often accomplish less than I would if I took a more gentle approach. For me, the best antidote is the slogan, Easy Does It.

When I notice that I am having trouble with my day, I let myself slow down. Instead of automatically assuming I am wrong, I try to consider the possibility I might be right on schedule.

"Easy Does It" suggests not only that I learn to slow down, but that I also learn to lighten up. Today I learn to take a more accepting attitude towards myself and to enjoy the day, regardless of what I achieve.

Improving our own attitude and our own state of mind, takes time. Haste and impatience can only defeat our purposes." This is Al-anon

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About Me

I am a member of Emotions Anonymous, which adapts AA's 12 steps for recovery from alcoholism, to recovery from emotional illness. Sojourning in Al-anon, a program for family members of recovering alcoholics, has helped me in dealing with my family, which was impacted by borderline personality disorder. Feel free to read!
If you'd like to the next step and participate daily in a path to emotional healing, using EA's Twelve Steps, please join us our autonomous group on Big Tent at https://www.bigtent.com/groups/emoreroom